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International Chocolate Day - 13th September
International Chocolate Day - 13th September
The deeper meaning behind chocolate
Every year on the 13th of September, people around the world pause to celebrate something that, on the surface, seems simple: a piece of chocolate. But ask anyone who has ever unwrapped a bar during a hard week, shared a box with someone they love, or been handed a truffle by a friend who just knew they needed it - and you'll usually find that chocolate is rarely just chocolate.
There is a reason chocolate sits at the centre of so many of our most meaningful moments. It appears at celebrations and in consolations, in first dates and cosy nights in, in the small ritual of a single square after dinner. It says things we sometimes struggle to say ourselves: I'm thinking of you. I'm proud of you. I'm sorry. I love you. Well done.
Part of our fascination with chocolate is actually biological - chocolate has a well-documented ability to lift mood and spark pleasure. But the emotional pull of chocolate goes deeper than chemistry. It's about craft, care, and the memories we attach to it. A truly great piece of chocolate is made with pure ingredients, slowly, by hand, with attention - and that attention is something we can taste, even if we can't quite explain how.
At The Highland Chocolatier, this is the heart of what we do. Each piece is hand-crafted using traditional methods, in small batches, with the same care Master Chocolatier Iain Burnett has brought to his work for decades. We believe that chocolate made this way doesn't just taste different - it feels different. It carries the intention of the person who made it, and the intention of the moment you choose to share it.
This International Chocolate Day, we asked the people who make and serve our chocolate every day what it means to them - the moments they've seen chocolate create, the reactions they've watched unfold, the small stories that remind them why this craft matters. Here's what they told us:
Cherice, Front of House
"What I love about chocolate is how is has the ability to make me feel content. I read somewhere that chocolate has a biological feel-good effect. Eating chocolate alters the positive sensations associated with happiness and relaxation. Which makes me appreciate chocolate even more."
When asked about a recent moment where chocolate had an impact on a customer, Cherice said, "A mum and her two daughters had come in for a hot chocolate and few chocolates to enjoy just being present in the moment together. I remember hearing her daughter say how much she enjoyed being with her mum and sister eating her favourite thing - chocolate. Seeing moments like these makes my heart joyful."
When asked about a recent moment where chocolate had an impact on a customer, Cherice said, "A mum and her two daughters had come in for a hot chocolate and few chocolates to enjoy just being present in the moment together. I remember hearing her daughter say how much she enjoyed being with her mum and sister eating her favourite thing - chocolate. Seeing moments like these makes my heart joyful."
Mark, Chocolatier
"For thousands of years, chocolate has brought humanity joy. To me, chocolate truly represents happiness!
"Each of the chocolate recipes we make are an amazing journey of flavour, originating from the highest quality food ingredients - crushed fruit, spices, unblended cream, couverture chocolate. Our dark chocolate is from a single origin - unblended and pure. Tasting our truffles allows me to experience chocolate as it was originally meant to be experienced, without posing a risk to my health. It brings me joy."
"Each of the chocolate recipes we make are an amazing journey of flavour, originating from the highest quality food ingredients - crushed fruit, spices, unblended cream, couverture chocolate. Our dark chocolate is from a single origin - unblended and pure. Tasting our truffles allows me to experience chocolate as it was originally meant to be experienced, without posing a risk to my health. It brings me joy."
"My favourite memories of working in this kitchen are always when we faced and overcame a challenge because of the painstaking way we make chocolate - not rushed through a machine, but carefully by hand, one by one. Making the
Cocoa Nib and Orange Crunch pralines is a careful procedure, with intense time pressure and requiring practiced finesse. At the very last stage, a wash of warm, tempered chocolate must be quickly but evenly spread over the whole slab praline, then delicate chocolate lines piped on top of the wash, then raked into a feathered pattern and cut into pieces before it sets hard. Each stage happens in seconds. I think this example really represents our mode of working in the kitchen - skill, speed, accuracy and no shortcuts! To receive the patient training required to be able to do this well and create chocolates that many love makes me feel really proud."
When thinking about the impact chocolate has on people, Mark says, "I have seen the impact of the chocolates we make on our guests. Memories of the Chocolate Lounge filled with couples, families and individuals all enjoying hot chocolates and truffles on a crisp, cool day always flood my mind as autumn and winter approach. During those moments, all troubles are forgotten. We are just together, united by one of the pure joys of life."
Rachel, Retail Director
When asked what she loves most about chocolate, Rachel said, "Being surrounded by chocolate puts me a great mood! I love taking a moment to have a hot chocolate and share a laugh and connect with a colleague. It's a delicious habit that gives me a perspective of gratitude. A bit of chocolate can make my challenges feel less daunting and reminds me that “life is good, everything is as it should be and I can do this."
Reflecting on a memory where she saw the impact chocolate can make on someone's life, she shared, "The most impact I've ever seen chocolate make was when a young woman came into the chocolate shop on a dark, winter afternoon and asked if it was possible to see Iain.
Reflecting on a memory where she saw the impact chocolate can make on someone's life, she shared, "The most impact I've ever seen chocolate make was when a young woman came into the chocolate shop on a dark, winter afternoon and asked if it was possible to see Iain.
While she waited for him to arrive, she leaned on a walking stick while her mother stood close by her to support her to stand. She looked extremely frail, like a breath of wind could knock her over. When Iain got there, she said 'Even though we've never met, I've come to thank you.' She then explained that she’d just been in hospital for many months fighting a very serious illness. She had been through a terrible time, had felt hopeless and had lost too much weight as she’d been unable to eat anything. One day, feeling there was nothing to lose, her mother brought her some of Iain’s chocolates hoping they would cheer her up and remind her that life still had sweetness in it. Miraculously, she was able to keep them down and they were delicious in the bargain. Her mother began bringing them regularly and she’d eaten them every day during her illness. The young woman felt she’d survived in part by eating Iain’s chocolates and now that she was out and recovering, she wanted to come and meet Iain and say thank you to him personally. It was so moving and amazing to witness how something so simple can make such a dramatic difference to someone in the most unlikely circumstances.'
Satasha, Front of House & Tour Guide
"After working here, I love the journey of chocolate - from bean to bar to belly! I really appreciate it more. A lot of guests I talk to remember chocolate from childhood - not so much the taste of it, but more so the treat element, the fun associated with it. I think its nostalgic for many."
On her favourite part of working in at the Highland Chocolatier, Satasha, says, "When adults walk in and behave or react like children in a sweet shop! On one of my tours, there was a lady who during the pandemic, lost her sense of taste and had been a real foodie before. The tour company had booked her and her friend for an afternoon chocolate tasting flight and although she was happy to learn about the chocolates, she wasn't excited about the tasting. However, to her surprise, during the tasting she could faintly taste the cocoa, the pepper spice came through and in the praline, she knew she could taste something but couldn't place it - it was the lemongrass. She was overwhelmed with emotion and left so happy!"
Without chocolate in the world, she says, "I can't imagine what would rise up to take its place... there is nothing like it! The world would be missing an element of life!"
From The Chocolate Kitchen to You
Whatever chocolate means to you - comfort, celebration, connection, or simply a quiet moment to yourself - we hope this International Chocolate Day gives you a reason to savour it a little more slowly.